Search

PurposeElectronic health records (EHRs) contain a vast amount of clinical data. Improved automated classification approaches have the potential to accurately and efficiently identify patient cohorts for research. We evaluated if a rule-based natural language processing (NLP) algorithm using clinical notes performed better for classifying proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) severity compared with International Classification of Diseases, ninth edition (ICD-9) or 10th edition (ICD-10) codes.DesignCross-sectional study.SubjectsDeidentified EHR data from an academic medical center identified 2366 patients aged ≥18 years, with diabetes mellitus, diabetic retinopathy (DR), and available clinical notes.MethodsFrom these 2366 patients, 306 random patients (100 training set, 206 test set) underwent chart review by ophthalmologists to establish the gold standard. International Classification of Diseases codes were extracted from the EHR. The notes algorithm identified positive mention of PDR and NPDR severity from clinical notes. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy and NPDR severity classification by ICD codes and the notes algorithm were compared with the gold standard. The entire DR cohort (N = 2366) was then classified as having presence (or absence) of PDR using ICD codes and the notes algorithm.Main outcome measuresSensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value, and F1 score for the notes algorithm compared with ICD codes using a gold standard of chart review.ResultsFor PDR classification of the test set patients, the notes algorithm performed better than ICD codes for all metrics. Specifically, the notes algorithm had significantly higher sensitivity (90.5% [95% confidence interval 85.7, 94.9] vs. 68.4% [60.4, 75.3]), but similar PPV (98.0% [95.4-100] vs. 94.7% [90.3, 98.3]) respectively. The F1 score was 0.941 [0.910, 0.966] for the notes algorithm compared with 0.794 [0.734, 0.842] for ICD codes. For PDR classification, ICD-10 codes performed better than ICD-9 codes (F1 score 0.836 [0.771, 0.878] vs. 0.596 [0.222, 0.692]). For NPDR severity classification, the notes algorithm performed similarly to ICD codes, but performance was limited by small sample size.ConclusionsThe notes algorithm outperformed ICD codes for PDR classification. The findings demonstrate the significant potential of applying a rule-based NLP algorithm to clinical notes to increase the efficiency and accuracy of cohort selection for research.Financial disclosuresProprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.

ObjectiveTo determine if baseline diabetic retinopathy (DR) severity mediates the relationship between health insurance status and DR progression.DesignRetrospective cohort study.SubjectsSeven hundred sixteen patients aged ≥ 18 years with a diagnosis of type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus, and a diagnosis of nonproliferative DR (NPDR) were identified from the electronic health record of a tertiary academic center between June 2012 and February 2022.MethodsNPDR severity at baseline was the proposed mediator in the relationship between insurance status and proliferative DR (PDR) progression. Logistic regression was used to determine the association between insurance status and NPDR severity at baseline, and Cox proportional hazards regression was used to assess the association between insurance status and time to PDR progression. To analyze the mediation effect of NPDR severity at baseline, a counterfactual approach, which decomposes a total effect into a natural direct effect and a natural indirect effect was applied.Main outcome measuresTime to progression from first NPDR diagnosis to first PDR diagnosis.ResultsOf the 716 patients, 581 (81%) had Medicare or private insurance, 107 (15%) had Medicaid, and 28 (4.0%) were uninsured at their baseline eye visit. Uninsured or Medicaid patients had a higher proportion of moderate or severe NPDR at their baseline eye visit and a higher proportion of progression to PDR. After adjusting for confounders and NPDR severity at baseline, patients who were uninsured had significantly greater risk of progression to PDR compared with that of patients with Medicare/private insurance (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.63; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10-6.25). Patients with Medicaid also had an increased risk of progression to PDR compared with that of patients with Medicare/private insurance, although not statistically significant (HR: 1.53; 95% CI: 0.81-2.89). NPDR severity at baseline mediated 41% of the effect of insurance status (uninsured vs. Medicare/private insurance) on PDR progression.ConclusionsPatients who were uninsured were more likely to have an advanced stage of NPDR at their baseline eye visit and were at significantly greater risk of progression to PDR compared with patients who had Medicare or were privately insured. Mediation analysis revealed that differences in baseline NPDR severity by insurance explained a significant proportion of the relationship between insurance status and DR progression.Financial disclosuresProprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.

ImportanceRepeated mass distribution of azithromycin has been shown to reduce childhood mortality by 14% in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the estimated effect varied by location, suggesting that the intervention may not be effective in different geographical areas, time periods, or conditions.ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy of twice-yearly azithromycin to reduce mortality in children in the presence of seasonal malaria chemoprevention.Design, setting, and participantsThis cluster randomized placebo-controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of single-dose azithromycin for prevention of all-cause childhood mortality included 341 communities in the Nouna district in rural northwestern Burkina Faso. Participants were children aged 1 to 59 months living in the study communities.InterventionsCommunities were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive oral azithromycin or placebo distribution. Children aged 1 to 59 months were offered single-dose treatment twice yearly for 3 years (6 distributions) from August 2019 to February 2023.Main outcomes and measuresThe primary outcome was all-cause childhood mortality, measured during a twice-yearly enumerative census.ResultsA total of 34 399 children (mean [SD] age, 25.2 [18] months) in the azithromycin group and 33 847 children (mean [SD] age, 25.6 [18] months) in the placebo group were included. A mean (SD) of 90.1% (16.0%) of the censused children received the scheduled study drug in the azithromycin group and 89.8% (17.1%) received the scheduled study drug in the placebo group. In the azithromycin group, 498 deaths were recorded over 60 592 person-years (8.2 deaths/1000 person-years). In the placebo group, 588 deaths were recorded over 58 547 person-years (10.0 deaths/1000 person-years). The incidence rate ratio for mortality was 0.82 (95% CI, 0.67-1.02; P = .07) in the azithromycin group compared with the placebo group. The incidence rate ratio was 0.99 (95% CI, 0.72-1.36) in those aged 1 to 11 months, 0.92 (95% CI, 0.67-1.27) in those aged 12 to 23 months, and 0.73 (95% CI, 0.57-0.94) in those aged 24 to 59 months.Conclusions and relevanceMortality in children (aged 1-59 months) was lower with biannual mass azithromycin distribution in a setting in which seasonal malaria chemoprevention was also being distributed, but the difference was not statistically significant. The study may have been underpowered to detect a clinically relevant difference.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03676764.

Growth faltering in children (low length for age or low weight for length) during the first 1,000 days of life (from conception to 2 years of age) influences short-term and long-term health and survival1,2. Interventions such as nutritional supplementation during pregnancy and the postnatal period could help prevent growth faltering, but programmatic action has been insufficient to eliminate the high burden of stunting and wasting in low- and middle-income countries. Identification of age windows and population subgroups on which to focus will benefit future preventive efforts. Here we use a population intervention effects analysis of 33 longitudinal cohorts (83,671 children, 662,763 measurements) and 30 separate exposures to show that improving maternal anthropometry and child condition at birth accounted for population increases in length-for-age z-scores of up to 0.40 and weight-for-length z-scores of up to 0.15 by 24 months of age. Boys had consistently higher risk of all forms of growth faltering than girls. Early postnatal growth faltering predisposed children to subsequent and persistent growth faltering. Children with multiple growth deficits exhibited higher mortality rates from birth to 2 years of age than children without growth deficits (hazard ratios 1.9 to 8.7). The importance of prenatal causes and severe consequences for children who experienced early growth faltering support a focus on pre-conception and pregnancy as a key opportunity for new preventive interventions.

Sustainable Development Goal 2.2-to end malnutrition by 2030-includes the elimination of child wasting, defined as a weight-for-length z-score that is more than two standard deviations below the median of the World Health Organization standards for child growth1. Prevailing methods to measure wasting rely on cross-sectional surveys that cannot measure onset, recovery and persistence-key features that inform preventive interventions and estimates of disease burden. Here we analyse 21 longitudinal cohorts and show that wasting is a highly dynamic process of onset and recovery, with incidence peaking between birth and 3 months. Many more children experience an episode of wasting at some point during their first 24 months than prevalent cases at a single point in time suggest. For example, at the age of 24 months, 5.6% of children were wasted, but by the same age (24 months), 29.2% of children had experienced at least one wasting episode and 10.0% had experienced two or more episodes. Children who were wasted before the age of 6 months had a faster recovery and shorter episodes than did children who were wasted at older ages; however, early wasting increased the risk of later growth faltering, including concurrent wasting and stunting (low length-for-age z-score), and thus increased the risk of mortality. In diverse populations with high seasonal rainfall, the population average weight-for-length z-score varied substantially (more than 0.5 z in some cohorts), with the lowest mean z-scores occurring during the rainiest months; this indicates that seasonally targeted interventions could be considered. Our results show the importance of establishing interventions to prevent wasting from birth to the age of 6 months, probably through improved maternal nutrition, to complement current programmes that focus on children aged 6-59 months.

Globally, 149 million children under 5 years of age are estimated to be stunted (length more than 2 standard deviations below international growth standards)1,2. Stunting, a form of linear growth faltering, increases the risk of illness, impaired cognitive development and mortality. Global stunting estimates rely on cross-sectional surveys, which cannot provide direct information about the timing of onset or persistence of growth faltering-a key consideration for defining critical windows to deliver preventive interventions. Here we completed a pooled analysis of longitudinal studies in low- and middle-income countries (n = 32 cohorts, 52,640 children, ages 0-24 months), allowing us to identify the typical age of onset of linear growth faltering and to investigate recurrent faltering in early life. The highest incidence of stunting onset occurred from birth to the age of 3 months, with substantially higher stunting at birth in South Asia. From 0 to 15 months, stunting reversal was rare; children who reversed their stunting status frequently relapsed, and relapse rates were substantially higher among children born stunted. Early onset and low reversal rates suggest that improving children's linear growth will require life course interventions for women of childbearing age and a greater emphasis on interventions for children under 6 months of age.

PurposeTo develop models for progression of nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) to proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and determine if incorporating updated information improves model performance.DesignRetrospective cohort study.ParticipantsElectronic health record (EHR) data from a tertiary academic center, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), and a safety-net hospital, Zuckerberg San Francisco General (ZSFG) Hospital were used to identify patients with a diagnosis of NPDR, age ≥ 18 years, a diagnosis of type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus, ≥ 6 months of ophthalmology follow-up, and no prior diagnosis of PDR before the index date (date of first NPDR diagnosis in the EHR).MethodsFour survival models were developed: Cox proportional hazards, Cox with backward selection, Cox with LASSO regression and Random Survival Forest. For each model, three variable sets were compared to determine the impact of including updated clinical information: Static0 (data up to the index date), Static6m (data updated 6 months after the index date), and Dynamic (data in Static0 plus data change during the 6-month period). The UCSF data were split into 80% training and 20% testing (internal validation). The ZSFG data were used for external validation. Model performance was evaluated by the Harrell's concordance index (C-Index).Main outcome measuresTime to PDR.ResultsThe UCSF cohort included 1130 patients and 92 (8.1%) patients progressed to PDR. The ZSFG cohort included 687 patients and 30 (4.4%) patients progressed to PDR. All models performed similarly (C-indices ∼ 0.70) in internal validation. The random survival forest with Static6m set performed best in external validation (C-index 0.76). Insurance and age were selected or ranked as highly important by all models. Other key predictors were NPDR severity, diabetic neuropathy, number of strokes, mean Hemoglobin A1c, and number of hospital admissions.ConclusionsOur models for progression of NPDR to PDR achieved acceptable predictive performance and validated well in an external setting. Updating the baseline variables with new clinical information did not consistently improve the predictive performance.Financial disclosuresProprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references.

Trachoma, caused by ocular Chlamydia trachomatis infection, is targeted for global elimination as a public health problem by 2030. To provide evidence for use of antibodies to monitor C. trachomatis transmission, we collated IgG responses to Pgp3 antigen, PCR positivity, and clinical observations from 19,811 children aged 1-9 years in 14 populations. We demonstrate that age-seroprevalence curves consistently shift along a gradient of transmission intensity: rising steeply in populations with high levels of infection and active trachoma and becoming flat in populations near elimination. Seroprevalence (range: 0-54%) and seroconversion rates (range: 0-15 per 100 person-years) correlate with PCR prevalence (r: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.57, 0.97). A seroprevalence threshold of 13.5% (seroconversion rate 2.75 per 100 person-years) identifies clusters with any PCR-identified infection at high sensitivity ( >90%) and moderate specificity (69-75%). Antibody responses in young children provide a robust, generalizable approach to monitor population progress toward and beyond trachoma elimination.

BackgroundAssessments of disease burden are important to inform national, regional, and global strategies and to guide investment. We aimed to estimate the drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH)-attributable burden of disease for diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections, undernutrition, and soil-transmitted helminthiasis, using the WASH service levels used to monitor the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as counterfactual minimum risk-exposure levels.MethodsWe assessed the WASH-attributable disease burden of the four health outcomes overall and disaggregated by region, age, and sex for the year 2019. We calculated WASH-attributable fractions of diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections by country using modelled WASH exposures and exposure-response relationships from two updated meta-analyses. We used the WHO and UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene public database to estimate population exposure to different WASH service levels. WASH-attributable undernutrition was estimated by combining the population attributable fractions (PAF) of diarrhoea caused by unsafe WASH and the PAF of undernutrition caused by diarrhoea. Soil-transmitted helminthiasis was fully attributed to unsafe WASH.FindingsWe estimate that 1·4 (95% CI 1·3-1·5) million deaths and 74 (68-80) million disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) could have been prevented by safe WASH in 2019 across the four designated outcomes, representing 2·5% of global deaths and 2·9% of global DALYs from all causes. The proportion of diarrhoea that is attributable to unsafe WASH is 0·69 (0·65-0·72), 0·14 (0·13-0·17) for acute respiratory infections, and 0·10 (0·09-0·10) for undernutrition, and we assume that the entire disease burden from soil-transmitted helminthiasis was attributable to unsafe WASH.InterpretationWASH-attributable burden of disease estimates based on the levels of service established under the SDG framework show that progress towards the internationally agreed goal of safely managed WASH services for all would yield major public-health returns.FundingWHO and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.

Observational studies have linked early-life antibiotic exposure to increased risk of obesity in children in high income settings. We evaluated whether neonatal antibiotic exposure led to changes in infant growth at 6 months of age in Burkina Faso. Neonates aged 8 to 27 days of age who weighed at least 2,500 g at the time of enrollment were randomized in a 1:1 fashion to a single oral 20-mg/kg dose of azithromycin or equivalent volume of placebo from April 2019 through December 2020. Weight, length, and mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) were measured at baseline and 6 months of age. Growth outcomes, including weight gain in grams per day, length change in millimeters per day, and changes in weight-for-age Z-score (WAZ), weight-for-length Z-score (WLZ), length-for-age Z-score (LAZ), and MUAC were compared among neonates randomized to azithromycin compared with placebo. Among 21,832 neonates enrolled in the trial, median age at enrollment was 11 days, and 50% were female. We found no evidence of a difference in weight gain (mean difference -0.009 g/day, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.16 to 0.14, P = 0.90), length change (mean difference 0.003 mm/day, 95% CI: -0.002 to 0.007, P = 0.23), or WAZ (mean difference -0.005 SD, 95% CI: -0.03 to 0.02, P = 0.72), WLZ (mean difference -0.01 SD, 95% CI: -0.05 to 0.02, P = 0.39), LAZ (mean difference 0.01, 95% CI: -0.02 to 0.04, P = 0.47), or MUAC (mean difference 0.01 cm, 95% CI: -0.02 to 0.04, P = 0.49). These results do not suggest that azithromycin has growth-promoting properties in infants when administered during the neonatal period. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03682653.

BackgroundSanitation interventions typically result in modest increases in latrine access, and any gains in latrine access and use are often not sustained over time. Sanitation programs also rarely include child-focused interventions such as potties. We aimed to assess the sustained effect of a multi-component sanitation intervention on access to and use of latrines and child feces management tools in rural Bangladesh.MethodsWe conducted a longitudinal substudy nested within the WASH Benefits randomized controlled trial. The trial provided latrine upgrades, child potties and sani-scoops for feces removal, along with behavior change promotion to encourage use of the delivered hardware. Promotion visits to intervention recipients were frequent during the first 2 years after intervention initiation, decreased in frequency between years 2-3, and ceased after 3 years. We enrolled a random subset of 720 households from the sanitation and control arms of the trial in a substudy and visited them quarterly between 1 and 3.5 years after intervention initiation. At each visit, field staff recorded sanitation-related behaviors through spot-check observations and structured questionnaires. We assessed intervention effects on observed indicators of hygienic latrine access, potty use and sani-scoop use and investigated whether these effects were modified by duration of follow-up, ongoing behavior change promotion and household characteristics.ResultsThe intervention increased hygienic latrine access from 37% among controls to 94% in the sanitation arm (p

BackgroundMaternal age is increasingly recognized as a predictor of birth outcomes. Given the importance of birth and growth outcomes for children's development, wellbeing and survival, this study examined the effect of maternal age on infant birth and growth outcomes at 6 months and mortality. Additionally, we conducted quantitative bias analysis (QBA) to estimate the role of selection bias and unmeasured confounding on the effect of maternal age on infant mortality.MethodsWe used data from randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) of 21 555 neonates in Burkina Faso conducted in 2019-2020. Newborns of mothers aged 13-19 years (adolescents) and 20-40 years (adults) were enrolled in the study 8-27 days after birth and followed for 6 months. Measurements of child's anthropometric measures were collected at baseline and 6 months. We used multivariable linear regression to compare child anthropometric measures at birth and 6 months, and logistic regression models to obtain the odds ratio (OR) of all-cause mortality. Using multidimensional deterministic analysis, we assessed scenarios in which the difference in selection probability of adolescent and adult mothers with infant mortality at 6 months increased from 0% to 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% if babies born to adolescent mothers more often died during the first week or were of lower weight and hence were not eligible to be included in the original RCT. Using probabilistic bias analysis, we assessed the role of unmeasured confounding by socio-economic status (SES).ResultsBabies born to adolescent mothers on average had lower weight at birth, lower anthropometric measures at baseline, similar growth outcomes from enrolment to 6 months and higher odds of all-cause mortality by 6 months (adjusted OR = 2.17, 95% CI 1.35 to 3.47) compared with those born to adult mothers. In QBA, we found that differential selection of adolescent and adult mothers could bias the observed effect (OR = 2.24, 95% CI 1.41 to 3.57) towards the null [bias-corrected OR range: 2.37 (95% CI 1.49 to 3.77) to 2.84 (95% CI 1.79 to 4.52)], whereas unmeasured confounding by SES could bias the observed effect away from the null (bias-corrected OR: 2.06, 95% CI 1.31 to 2.64).ConclusionsOur findings suggest that delaying the first birth from adolescence to adulthood may improve birth outcomes and reduce mortality of neonates. Babies born to younger mothers, who are smaller at birth, may experience catch-up growth, reducing some of the anthropometric disparities by 6 months of age.

The relationship between malaria infection and malnutrition is complex. Using data from a randomized controlled trial of 450 children 0-5 years of age in Burkina Faso, we examined the effect of malaria infection on short-term changes in anthropometric measures, the effect of malnutrition on malaria infection, and whether age modified the effect of baseline anthropometric measures on malaria infection. Malaria infection, assessed by blood smear microscopy and weight, height, mid-upper arm circumference, height-for-age z-score, weight-for-age z-score, and weight-for-height z-score were measured at three time points: baseline, 2 weeks, and 6 months. We used generalized estimating equations adjusted for sex, age, breastfeeding, maternal education, and study treatment (azithromycin versus placebo) for all analyses. Interaction terms were used to assess effect modification by age. Among the 366 children with no malaria infection at baseline, 43 (11.6%) had malaria infection within 6 months. There were no important differences in anthropometric measures at 2 weeks and 6 months between those with and without malaria infection at baseline. There were no significant differences in prevalence of malaria infection by baseline anthropometric measures. Age (0-30 months versus 30-60 months) modified the effect of baseline weight and height on malaria infection. Among those aged 0-30 months, for each kilogram increase in weight, malaria infection increased by 27% (95% CI: 6-53%), and for each centimeter increase in height, it increased by 9% (95% CI: 1-17%), but there were no differences for those aged 30-60 months.

BackgroundWater, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) improvements are promoted to reduce diarrhoea in low-income countries. However, trials from the past 5 years have found mixed effects of household-level and community-level WASH interventions on child health. Measuring pathogens and host-specific faecal markers in the environment can help investigate causal pathways between WASH and health by quantifying whether and by how much interventions reduce environmental exposure to enteric pathogens and faecal contamination from human and different animal sources. We aimed to assess the effects of WASH interventions on enteropathogens and microbial source tracking (MST) markers in environmental samples.MethodsWe did a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis, which included searches from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 5, 2023, from PubMed, Embase, CAB Direct Global Health, Agricultural and Environmental Science Database, Web of Science, and Scopus, of prospective studies with water, sanitation, or hygiene interventions and concurrent control group that measured pathogens or MST markers in environmental samples and measured child anthropometry, diarrhoea, or pathogen-specific infections. We used covariate-adjusted regression models with robust standard errors to estimate study-specific intervention effects and pooled effect estimates across studies using random-effects models.FindingsFew trials have measured the effect of sanitation interventions on pathogens and MST markers in the environment and they mostly focused on onsite sanitation. We extracted individual participant data on nine environmental assessments from five eligible trials. Environmental sampling included drinking water, hand rinses, soil, and flies. Interventions were consistently associated with reduced pathogen detection in the environment but effect estimates in most individual studies could not be distinguished from chance. Pooled across studies, we found a small reduction in the prevalence of any pathogen in any sample type (pooled prevalence ratio [PR] 0·94 [95% CI 0·90-0·99]). Interventions had no effect on the prevalence of MST markers from humans (pooled PR 1·00 [95% CI 0·88-1·13]) or animals (pooled PR 1·00 [95% CI 0·97-1·03]).InterpretationThe small effect of these sanitation interventions on pathogen detection and absence of effects on human or animal faecal markers are consistent with the small or null health effects previously reported in these trials. Our findings suggest that the basic sanitation interventions implemented in these studies did not contain human waste and did not adequately reduce exposure to enteropathogens in the environment.FundingBill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office.

BackgroundLow birthweight (birthweight

Mass azithromycin distribution reduces all-cause childhood mortality in some high-mortality settings in sub-Saharan Africa. Although the greatest benefits have been shown in children 1 to 5 months old living in areas with high mortality rates, no evidence of a benefit was found of neonatal azithromycin in a low-mortality setting on mortality at 6 months. We conducted a 1:1 randomized, placebo-controlled trial evaluating the effect of a single oral 20-mg/kg dose of azithromycin or matching placebo administered during the neonatal period on all-cause and cause-specific infant mortality at 12 months of age in five regions of Burkina Faso. Neonates were eligible if they were between the ages of 8 and 27 days and weighed at least 2,500 g at enrollment. Cause of death was determined via the WHO 2016 verbal autopsy tool. We compared all-cause and cause-specific mortality using binomial regression. Of 21,832 infants enrolled in the study, 116 died by 12 months of age. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality between the azithromycin and placebo groups (azithromycin: 52 deaths, 0.5%; placebo, 64 deaths, 0.7%; hazard ratio, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.56-1.17; P = 0.30). There was no evidence of a difference in the distribution of causes of death (P = 0.40) and no significant difference in any specific cause of death between groups. Mortality rates were low at 12 months of age, and there was no evidence of an effect of neonatal azithromycin on all-cause or cause-specific mortality.

PurposeTo evaluate refractive and structural outcomes for patients treated for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) with the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agent ranibizumab and "delayed laser," defined as any laser photocoagulation treatment administered at least 2 weeks and

BackgroundMeta-analyses show that small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNSs) reduce child wasting and stunting. There is little information regarding effects on severe wasting or stunting.ObjectivesWe aimed to identify the effect of SQ-LNSs on prevalence of severe wasting (weight-for-length z score < -3) and severe stunting (length-for-age z score < -3).MethodsWe conducted a 2-stage meta-analysis of individual participant data from 14 randomized controlled trials of SQ-LNSs provided to children 6-24 mo of age. We generated study-specific and subgroup estimates of SQ-LNS compared with control and pooled the estimates using fixed-effects models. We used random-effects meta-regression to examine study-level effect modifiers. In sensitivity analyses, we examined whether results differed depending on study arm inclusion criteria and types of comparisons.ResultsSQ-LNS provision led to a relative reduction of 31% in severe wasting [prevalence ratio (PR): 0.69; 95% CI: 0.55, 0.86; n = 34,373] and 17% in severe stunting (PR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.78, 0.90; n = 36,795) at endline. Results were similar in most of the sensitivity analyses but somewhat attenuated when comparisons using passive control arms were excluded (PR: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.57, 0.96; n = 26,327 for severe wasting and PR: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.81, 0.95; n = 28,742 for severe stunting). Study-level characteristics generally did not significantly modify the effects of SQ-LNSs, but results suggested greater effects of SQ-LNSs in sites with greater burdens of wasting or stunting, or with poorer water quality or sanitation.ConclusionsIncluding SQ-LNSs in preventive interventions to promote healthy child growth and development is likely to reduce rates of severe wasting and stunting. This meta-analysis was registered at www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO as CRD42019146592.

ImportanceHerpes zoster infection after COVID-19 vaccination has been reported in numerous case studies. It is not known whether these cases represent increased reporting or a true increase in risk.ObjectiveTo assess whether COVID-19 vaccination is associated with an increased risk of herpes zoster infection.Design, setting, and participantsThis cohort study used a self-controlled risk interval (SCRI) design to compare the risk of herpes zoster in a risk interval of 30 days after COVID-19 vaccination or up to the date of the second vaccine dose with a control interval remote from COVID-19 vaccination (defined as 60-90 days after the last recorded vaccination date for each individual, allowing for a 30-day washout period between control and risk intervals). A supplemental cohort analysis was used to compare the risk of herpes zoster after COVID-19 vaccination with the risk of herpes zoster after influenza vaccination among 2 historical cohorts who received an influenza vaccine in the prepandemic period (January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019) or the early pandemic period (March 1, 2020, to November 30, 2020). Data were obtained from Optum Labs Data Warehouse, a US national deidentified claims-based database. A total of 2 039 854 individuals who received any dose of a COVID-19 vaccine with emergency use authorization (BNT162b2 [Pfizer-BioNTech], mRNA-1273 [Moderna], or Ad26.COV2.S [Johnson & Johnson]) from December 11, 2020, through June 30, 2021, were eligible for inclusion. Individuals included in the SCRI analysis were a subset of the COVID-19-vaccinated cohort who had herpes zoster during either a risk or control interval.ExposuresAny dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.Main outcomes and measuresIncident herpes zoster, defined by International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision codes and a prescription of a new antiviral medication or a dose increase in antiviral medication within 5 days of diagnosis.ResultsAmong 2 039 854 individuals who received any dose of a COVID-19 vaccine during the study period, the mean (SD) age was 43.2 (16.3) years; 1 031 149 individuals (50.6%) were female, and 1 344 318 (65.9%) were White. Of those, 1451 patients (mean [SD] age, 51.6 [12.6] years; 845 [58.2%] female) with a herpes zoster diagnosis were included in the primary SCRI analysis. In the SCRI analysis, COVID-19 vaccination was not associated with an increased risk of herpes zoster after adjustment (incidence rate ratio, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.82-1.01; P = .08). In the supplementary cohort analysis, COVID-19 vaccination was not associated with a higher risk of herpes zoster compared with influenza vaccination in the prepandemic period (first dose of COVID-19 vaccine: hazard ratio [HR], 0.78 [95% CI, 0.70-0.86; P

PurposeTo determine the dose-dependent risk of systemic corticosteroids (SCs) and the risk of other immunosuppressive therapies on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, hospitalization, and death in patients with noninfectious uveitis (NIU).DesignA retrospective cohort study from January 20, 2020, to December 31, 2020 (an era before widespread COVID-19 vaccination), using the Optum Labs Data Warehouse, a US national de-identified claims database.ParticipantsPatients who had at least 1 NIU diagnosis from January 1, 2017.MethodsUnadjusted and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated for each variable and COVID-19 outcome using Cox proportional hazards models, with time-updated dichotomous indicators for outpatient immunosuppressive medication exposure. To assess the dose-dependent effect of SC exposure, the average daily dose of prednisone over the exposed interval was included in the adjusted models as a continuous variable, in addition to the dichotomous variable.Main outcome measuresIncidence rates of COVID-19 infection, COVID-19-related hospitalization, and COVID-19-related in-hospital death.ResultsThis study included 52 286 NIU patients of whom 12 000 (23.0%) were exposed to immunosuppressive medications during the risk period. In adjusted models, exposure to SCs was associated with increased risk of COVID-19 infection (HR, 2.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.19-3.24; P < 0.001), hospitalization (HR, 3.26; 95% CI, 2.46-4.33; P < 0.001), and in-hospital death (HR, 1.99; 95% CI, 0.93-4.27; P = 0.08). Furthermore, incremental increases in the dosage of SCs were associated with a greater risk for these outcomes. Although tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitors were associated with an increased risk of infection (HR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.08-2.04; P = 0.02), other immunosuppressive treatments did not increase the risk of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, or death.ConclusionsThis study from an era before widespread COVID-19 vaccination demonstrates that outpatient SC exposure is associated with greater risk of COVID-19 infection and severe outcomes in patients with NIU. Future studies should evaluate the impact of immunosuppression in vaccinated NIU patients. Limiting exposure to SCs and use of alternative therapies may be warranted.

The use of biomarkers to measure immune responses in serum is crucial for understanding population-level exposure and susceptibility to human pathogens. Advances in sample collection, multiplex testing, and computational modeling are transforming serosurveillance into a powerful tool for public health program design and response to infectious threats. In July 2018, 70 scientists from 16 countries met to perform a landscape analysis of approaches that support an integrated serosurveillance platform, including the consideration of issues for successful implementation. Here, we summarize the group's insights and proposed roadmap for implementation, including objectives, technical requirements, ethical issues, logistical considerations, and monitoring and evaluation.

BackgroundHousehold-level sanitation interventions have had limited effects on child health or environmental contamination, potentially due to low community coverage. Higher community-level coverage with safely managed sanitation can reduce opportunities for disease transmission.MethodsWe estimated associations between community sanitation coverage, environmental fecal contamination, and child health among 360 compounds in the control arm of the WASH Benefits trial in rural Bangladesh (NCT01590095). In each compound, we enumerated E. coli in environmental samples and recorded the 7-day prevalence of caregiver-reported diarrheal disease and acute respiratory infections (ARI) in children under five. We observed indicators of latrine access and quality among all neighboring compounds within 100 m of study compounds. We defined community coverage as the proportion of neighboring compounds with (1) at least one latrine, and (2) exclusively hygienic latrines (improved facility observed to safely contain feces), within both 50 m and 100 m of study compounds. We assessed effect modification by population density and season.ResultsAdjusted for confounders, study compounds surrounded by 100% coverage of at least one latrine per compound within 50 m had slightly lower log10E. coli counts in stored water (Δlog = -0.13, 95% CI -0.26, -0.01), child hand rinses (Δlog = -0.13, 95% CI -0.24, -0.02), and caregiver hand rinses (Δlog = -0.16, 95% CI -0.29, -0.03) and marginally lower prevalence of diarrheal disease (prevalence ratio [PR] = 0.82, 95% CI 0.64, 1.04) and ARI (PR = 0.84, 95% CI 0.69, 1.03) compared to compounds surrounded by

A broad-spectrum antibiotic, typically amoxicillin, is included in many country guidelines as part of the management of uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in children without overt clinical symptoms of infection. Alternative antibiotics may be beneficial for children with SAM without increasing selection for beta-lactam resistance. We conducted a 1:1 randomized controlled trial of single dose azithromycin versus a 7-day course of amoxicillin for SAM. Children 6-59 months of age with uncomplicated SAM (mid-upper arm circumference < 11.5 cm and/or weight-for-height Z-score < -3) were enrolled in Boromo District, Burkina Faso, from June through October 2020. Rectal swabs were collected at baseline and 8 weeks after treatment and processed using DNA-Seq. We compared the resistome at the class level in children randomized to azithromycin compared with amoxicillin. We found no evidence of a difference in the distribution of genetic antibiotic resistance determinants to any antibiotic class 8 weeks after treatment. There was no difference in genetic macrolide resistance determinants (65% azithromycin, 65% placebo, odds ratio, OR, 1.00, 95% confidence interval, CI, 0.43-2.34) or beta-lactam resistance determinants (82% azithromycin, 83% amoxicillin, OR 0.94, 95% CI, 0.33-2.68) at 8 weeks. Although presence of genetic antibiotic resistance determinants to macrolides and beta-lactams was common, we found no evidence of a difference in the gut resistome 8 weeks after treatment. If there are earlier effects of antibiotics on selection for genetic antibiotic resistance determinants, the resistome may normalize by 8 weeks.

BackgroundEstimates of the effectiveness of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions that provide high levels of service on childhood diarrhoea are scarce. We aimed to provide up-to-date estimates on the burden of disease attributable to WASH and on the effects of different types of WASH interventions on childhood diarrhoea in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs).MethodsIn this systematic review and meta-analysis, we updated previous reviews following their search strategy by searching MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and BIOSIS Citation Index for studies of basic WASH interventions and of WASH interventions providing a high level of service, published between Jan 1, 2016, and May 25, 2021. We included randomised and non-randomised controlled trials conducted at household or community level that matched exposure categories of the so-called service ladder approach of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for WASH. Two reviewers independently extracted study-level data and assessed risk of bias using a modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and certainty of evidence using a modified Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach. We analysed extracted relative risks (RRs) and 95% CIs using random-effects meta-analyses and meta-regression models. This study is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42016043164.Findings19 837 records were identified from the search, of which 124 studies were included, providing 83 water (62 616 children), 20 sanitation (40 799 children), and 41 hygiene (98 416 children) comparisons. Compared with untreated water from an unimproved source, risk of diarrhoea was reduced by up to 50% with water treated at point of use (POU): filtration (n=23 studies; RR 0·50 [95% CI 0·41-0·60]), solar treatment (n=13; 0·63 [0·50-0·80]), and chlorination (n=25; 0·66 [0·56-0·77]). Compared with an unimproved source, provision of an improved drinking water supply on premises with higher water quality reduced diarrhoea risk by 52% (n=2; 0·48 [0·26-0·87]). Overall, sanitation interventions reduced diarrhoea risk by 24% (0·76 [0·61-0·94]). Compared with unimproved sanitation, providing sewer connection reduced diarrhoea risk by 47% (n=5; 0·53 [0·30-0·93]). Promotion of handwashing with soap reduced diarrhoea risk by 30% (0·70 [0·64-0·76]).InterpretationWASH interventions reduced risk of diarrhoea in children in LMICs. Interventions supplying either water filtered at POU, higher water quality from an improved source on premises, or basic sanitation services with sewer connection were associated with increased reductions. Our results support higher service levels called for under SDG 6. Notably, no studies evaluated interventions that delivered access to safely managed WASH services, the level of service to which universal coverage by 2030 is committed under the SDG.FundingWHO, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC)

Several recently developed methods have the potential to harness machine learning in the pursuit of target quantities inspired by causal inference, including inverse weighting, doubly robust estimating equations and substitution estimators like targeted maximum likelihood estimation. There are even more recent augmentations of these procedures that can increase robustness, by adding a layer of cross-validation (cross-validated targeted maximum likelihood estimation and double machine learning, as applied to substitution and estimating equation approaches, respectively). While these methods have been evaluated individually on simulated and experimental data sets, a comprehensive analysis of their performance across real data based simulations have yet to be conducted. In this work, we benchmark multiple widely used methods for estimation of the average treatment effect using ten different nutrition intervention studies data. A nonparametric regression method, undersmoothed highly adaptive lasso, is used to generate the simulated distribution which preserves important features from the observed data and reproduces a set of true target parameters. For each simulated data, we apply the methods above to estimate the average treatment effects as well as their standard errors and resulting confidence intervals. Based on the analytic results, a general recommendation is put forth for use of the cross-validated variants of both substitution and estimating equation estimators. We conclude that the additional layer of cross-validation helps in avoiding unintentional over-fitting of nuisance parameter functionals and leads to more robust inferences.

BackgroundBiannual mass azithromycin administration reduces all-cause childhood mortality in some sub-Saharan African settings, with the largest effects in children aged 1-5 months. Azithromycin has not been distributed to children

PurposeTo identify if noninfectious uveitis (NIU) is associated with a greater risk of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, hospitalization, and death.DesignA retrospective cohort study from January 20, 2020 to December 31, 2020, using a national claims-based database.ParticipantsEnrollees who had continuous enrollment with both medical and pharmacy coverage for 3 years before January 20, 2020. Patients with an NIU diagnosis within 3 years of the start of the study were included in the NIU cohort. Those with infectious uveitis codes or new NIU diagnoses during the risk period were excluded.MethodsCox proportional hazard models were used to identify unadjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and adjusted HRs for all covariates for each outcome measure. Adjusted models accounted for patient demographics, health status, and immunosuppressive medication use during the risk period.Main outcome measuresRates of COVID-19 infection, COVID-19-related hospitalization, and COVID-19-related in-hospital death identified with International Classification of Disease 10th revision codes.ResultsThis study included 5 806 227 patients, of whom 29 869 (0.5%) had a diagnosis of NIU. On unadjusted analysis, patients with NIU had a higher rate of COVID-19 infection (5.7% vs. 4.5%, P < 0.001), COVID-19-related hospitalization (1.2% vs. 0.6%, P < 0.001), and COVID-19-related death (0.3% vs. 0.1%, P < 0.001). However, in adjusted models, NIU was not associated with a greater risk of COVID-19 infection (HR, 1.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00-1.10; P = 0.04), hospitalization (HR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.88-1.09; P = 0.67), or death (HR, 0.90, 95% CI, 0.72-1.13, P = 0.37). Use of systemic corticosteroids was significantly associated with a higher risk of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and death.ConclusionsPatients with NIU were significantly more likely to be infected with COVID-19 and experience severe disease outcomes. However, this association was due to the demographics, comorbidities, and medications of patients with NIU, rather than NIU alone. Patients using systemic corticosteroids were significantly more likely to be infected with COVID-19 and were at greater risk of hospitalization and in-hospital death. Additional investigation is necessary to identify the impact of corticosteroid exposure on COVID-19-related outcomes.

Trachoma is an infectious disease characterized by repeated exposures to Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) that may ultimately lead to blindness. Efficient identification of communities with high infection burden could help target more intensive control efforts. We hypothesized that IgG seroprevalence in combination with geospatial layers, machine learning, and model-based geostatistics would be able to accurately predict future community-level ocular Ct infections detected by PCR. We used measurements from 40 communities in the hyperendemic Amhara region of Ethiopia to assess this hypothesis. Median Ct infection prevalence among children 0-5 years old increased from 6% at enrollment, in the context of recent mass drug administration (MDA), to 29% by month 36, following three years without MDA. At baseline, correlation between seroprevalence and Ct infection was stronger among children 0-5 years old (ρ = 0.77) than children 6-9 years old (ρ = 0.48), and stronger than the correlation between active trachoma and Ct infection (0-5y ρ = 0.56; 6-9y ρ = 0.40). Seroprevalence was the strongest concurrent predictor of infection prevalence at month 36 among children 0-5 years old (cross-validated R2 = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.58-0.85), though predictive performance declined substantially with increasing temporal lag between predictor and outcome measurements. Geospatial variables, a spatial Gaussian process, and stacked ensemble machine learning did not meaningfully improve predictions. Serological markers among children 0-5 years old may be an objective tool for identifying communities with high levels of ocular Ct infections, but accurate, future prediction in the context of changing transmission remains an open challenge.

BackgroundAzithromycin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that has moderate antimalarial activity and has been shown to reduce all-cause mortality when biannually administered to children under five in high mortality settings in sub-Saharan Africa. One potential mechanism for this observed reduction in mortality is via a reduction in malaria transmission.MethodsWe evaluated whether a single oral dose of azithromycin reduces malaria positivity by rapid diagnostic test (RDT). We conducted an individually randomized placebo-controlled trial in Burkina Faso during the high malaria transmission season in August 2020. Children aged 8 days to 59 months old were randomized to a single oral dose of azithromycin (20 mg/kg) or matching placebo. At baseline and 14 days following treatment, we administered a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) to detect Plasmodium falciparum and measured tympanic temperature for all children. Caregiver-reported adverse events and clinic visits were recorded at the day 14 visit.ResultsWe enrolled 449 children with 221 randomized to azithromycin and 228 to placebo. The median age was 32 months and 48% were female. A total of 8% of children had a positive RDT for malaria at baseline and 11% had a fever (tympanic temperature ≥ 37.5 °C). In the azithromycin arm, 8% of children had a positive RDT for malaria at 14 days compared to 7% in the placebo arm (P = 0.65). Fifteen percent of children in the azithromycin arm had a fever ≥ 37.5 °C compared to 21% in the placebo arm (P = 0.12). Caregivers of children in the azithromycin group had lower odds of reporting fever as an adverse event compared to children in the placebo group (OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.18-0.96, P = 0.04). Caregiver-reported clinic visits were uncommon, and there were no observed differences between arms (P = 0.32).ConclusionsWe did not find evidence that a single oral dose of azithromycin reduced malaria positivity during the high transmission season. Caregiver-reported fever occurred less often in children receiving azithromycin compared to placebo, indicating that azithromycin may have some effect on non-malarial infections. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT04315272, registered 19/03/2020.

BackgroundImproved sanitation has been associated with improved child growth in observational studies, but multiple randomized trials that delivered improved sanitation found no effect on child growth. We assessed to what extent differences in the effect estimated in the two study designs (the effect of treatment in observational studies and the effect of treatment assignment in trials) could explain the contradictory results.MethodsWe used parametric g-computation in five prospective studies (n = 21 524) and 59 cross-sectional Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS; n = 158 439). We compared the average treatment effect (ATE) for improved sanitation on mean length-for-age z-score (LAZ) among children aged 0.15 z-scores, a clinically meaningful difference, in most prospective studies but in

Antibiotics are recommended by the WHO as part of the management of uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition in children. We evaluated whether azithromycin, an antibiotic with antimalarial properties, improved malarial parasitemia outcomes in children with severe acute malnutrition compared with amoxicillin, an antibiotic commonly used for severe acute malnutrition that does not have antimalarial properties. Total of 301 children were randomized (1:1) to a single oral dose of azithromycin or a 7-day course of amoxicillin and followed for 8 weeks. We found no significant evidence that children receiving azithromycin had improved parasitemia outcomes relative to amoxicillin. Although azithromycin may have advantages over amoxicillin in terms of dosing and administration for uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition, it may not yield additional benefit for malaria outcomes.

Infant undernutrition is thought to contribute to growth failure and mortality. We evaluated the patterns in underweight in a population-based sample of children aged 1-11 months in rural northwestern Burkina Faso. Data were collected during the baseline assessment of a community-randomized trial evaluating mass azithromycin distribution in Nouna District, Burkina Faso. A door-to-door census was undertaken for all households in all communities. Infants aged 1-11 months were weighed for weight-based dosing in the trial and their weights were used to calculate weight-for-age Z-scores (WAZ). Underweight was defined as WAZ ≤ 2. We evaluated the age patterns in WAZ and underweight by demographic, seasonal, and geographic characteristics. Of 7,109 infants, 6,077 had accurate weight and global positioning system (GPS) coordinate data (85.5%). Infants were a median of 6 months old (interquartile range [IQR] 3-8) and 48.4% were female. Mean WAZ was -0.68 (SD 1.6) and 19.0% were underweight. The WAZ decreased with increasing age, and the prevalence of underweight increased from 2.5% among 1-month-olds to 27.6% among 11-month-olds. Underweight was more common among boys than girls (22.1% among boys versus 15.6% among girls). Improved latrine use by the household was associated with increased WAZ, and this effect was stronger in male compared with female infants. Given the large burden of underweight among infants, interventions addressing undernutrition should specifically include infants.

BackgroundChildren may be at higher risk for swimming-associated illness following exposure to fecally-contaminated recreational waters. We analyzed a pooled data set of over 80,000 beachgoers from 13 beach sites across the United States to compare risks associated with the fecal indicator bacteria Enterococcus spp. (measured by colony forming units, CFU and quantitative polymerase chain reaction cell equivalents, qPCR CE) for different age groups across different exposures, sites and health endpoints.MethodsSites were categorized according to the predominant type of fecal contamination (human or non-human). Swimming exposures of varying intensity were considered according to degree of contact and time spent in the water. Health endpoints included gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms and skin rashes. Logistic regression models were used to analyze the risk of illness as a function of fecal contamination in water as measured by Enterococcus spp. among the exposed groups. Non-swimmers (those who did not enter the water) were excluded from the models to reduce bias and facilitate comparison across groups.ResultsGastrointestinal symptoms were the most sensitive health endpoint and strongest associations were observed with Enterococcus qPCR CE at sites impacted by human fecal contamination. Under several exposure scenarios, associations between illness and Enterococcus spp. levels were significantly higher among children compared to adolescents and adults. Respiratory symptoms were also associated with Enterococcus spp. exposures among young children at sites affected by human fecal sources, although small sample sizes resulted in imprecise estimates for these associations.ConclusionUnder many exposure scenarios, children were at higher risk of illness associated with exposure to fecal contamination as measured by the indicator bacteria Enterococcus spp. The source of fecal contamination and the intensity of swimming exposure were also important factors affecting the association between Enterococcus spp. and swimming-associated illness.

BackgroundDiarrhea and acute respiratory infection (ARI) are leading causes of death in children. The WASH Benefits Bangladesh trial implemented a multicomponent sanitation intervention that led to a 39% reduction in the prevalence of diarrhea among children and a 25% reduction for ARI, measured 1 to 2 years after intervention implementation. We measured longer-term intervention effects on these outcomes between 1 to 3.5 years after intervention implementation, including periods with differing intensity of behavioral promotion.Methods and findingsWASH Benefits Bangladesh was a cluster-randomized controlled trial of water, sanitation, hygiene, and nutrition interventions (NCT01590095). The sanitation intervention included provision of or upgrades to improved latrines, sani-scoops for feces removal, children's potties, and in-person behavioral promotion. Promotion was intensive up to 2 years after intervention initiation, decreased in intensity between years 2 to 3, and stopped after 3 years. Access to and reported use of latrines was high in both arms, and latrine quality was significantly improved by the intervention, while use of child feces management tools was low. We enrolled a random subset of households from the sanitation and control arms into a longitudinal substudy, which measured child health with quarterly visits between 1 to 3.5 years after intervention implementation. The study period therefore included approximately 1 year of high-intensity promotion, 1 year of low-intensity promotion, and 6 months with no promotion. We assessed intervention effects on diarrhea and ARI prevalence among children

Azithromycin is a promising alternative to amoxicillin in the management of uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition (SAM) as it can be administered as a single dose and has efficacy against several pathogens causing infectious disease and mortality in children under 5. In this pilot trial, we aimed to establish the feasibility of a larger randomized controlled trial and provide preliminary evidence comparing the effect of azithromycin to amoxicillin on weight gain in children with uncomplicated SAM. We enrolled children 6-59 months old with uncomplicated SAM at six healthcare centers in Burkina Faso. Participants were randomized to a single dose of azithromycin or a 7-day course of amoxicillin and followed weekly until nutritional recovery and again at 8 weeks. Apart from antibiotics, participants received standard of care, which includes ready-to-use therapeutic food. Primary feasibility outcomes included enrollment potential, refusals, and loss to follow-up. The primary clinical outcome was weight gain (g/kg/day) over 8 weeks. Outcome assessors were masked. Between June and October 2020, 312 children were screened, 301 were enrolled with zero refusals, and 282 (93.6%) completed the 8-week visit. Average weight gain was 2.5 g/kg/day (standard deviation [SD] 2.0) in the azithromycin group and 2.6 (SD 1.7) in the amoxicillin group (mean difference -0.1, 95% CI -0.5 to 0.3, P = 0.63). Fewer adverse events were reported in the azithromycin group (risk ratio 0.50, 95% CI 0.31-0.82, P = 0.006). With strong enrollment and follow-up, a fully powered trial in this setting is feasible.

BackgroundIncreasing influenza vaccination coverage in school-aged children may substantially reduce community transmission. School-located influenza vaccinations (SLIV) aim to promote vaccinations by increasing accessibility, which may be especially beneficial to race/ethnicity groups that face high barriers to preventative care. Here, we evaluate the effectiveness of a city-wide SLIV program by race/ethnicity from 2014 to 2018.MethodsWe used multivariate matching to pair schools in the intervention district in Oakland, CA with schools in a comparison district in West Contra Costa County, CA. We distributed cross-sectional surveys to measure caregiver-reported student vaccination status and estimated differences in vaccination coverage levels and reasons for non-vaccination between districts stratifying by race/ethnicity. We estimated difference-in-differences (DID) of laboratory confirmed influenza hospitalization incidence between districts stratified by race/ethnicity using surveillance data.ResultsDifferences in influenza vaccination coverage in the intervention vs. comparison district were larger among White (2017-18: 21.0% difference [95% CI: 9.7%, 32.3%]) and Hispanic/Latino (13.4% [8.8%, 18.0%]) students than Asian/Pacific Islander (API) (8.9% [1.3%, 16.5%]), Black (5.9% [-2.2%, 14.0%]), and multiracial (6.3% [-1.8%, 14.3%)) students. Concerns about vaccine effectiveness or safety were more common among Black and multiracial caregivers. Logistical barriers were less common in the intervention vs. comparison district, with the largest difference among White students. In both districts, hospitalizations in 2017-18 were higher in Blacks (Intervention: 111.5 hospitalizations per 100,00; Comparison: 134.1 per 100,000) vs. other races/ethnicities. All-age influenza hospitalization incidence was lower in the intervention site vs. comparison site among White/API individuals in 2016-17 (DID -25.14 per 100,000 [95% CI: -40.14, -10.14]) and 2017-18 (-36.6 per 100,000 [-52.7, -20.5]) and Black older adults in 2017-18 (-282.2 per 100,000 (-508.4, -56.1]), but not in other groups.ConclusionsSLIV was associated with higher vaccination coverage and lower influenza hospitalization, but associations varied by race/ethnicity. SLIV alone may be insufficient to ensure equitable influenza outcomes.

The MORDOR trial in Niger, Malawi, and Tanzania found that biannual mass distribution of azithromycin to children younger than 5 years led to a 13.5% reduction in all-cause mortality (NCT02048007). To help elucidate the mechanism for mortality reduction, we report IgG responses to 11 malaria, bacterial, and protozoan pathogens using a multiplex bead assay in pre-specified substudy of 30 communities in the rural Niger placebo-controlled trial over a three-year period (n = 5642 blood specimens, n = 3814 children ages 1-59 months). Mass azithromycin reduces Campylobacter spp. force of infection by 29% (hazard ratio = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.56, 0.89; P = 0.004) but serological measures show no significant differences between groups for other pathogens against a backdrop of high transmission. Results align with a recent microbiome study in the communities. Given significant sequelae of Campylobacter infection among preschool aged children, our results support an important mechanism through which biannual mass distribution of azithromycin likely reduces mortality in Niger.

BackgroundWHO promotes the SAFE strategy for the elimination of trachoma as a public health programme, which promotes surgery for trichiasis (ie, the S component), antibiotics to clear the ocular strains of chlamydia that cause trachoma (the A component), facial cleanliness to prevent transmission of secretions (the F component), and environmental improvements to provide water for washing and sanitation facilities (the E component). However, little evidence is available from randomised trials to support the efficacy of interventions targeting the F and E components of the strategy. We aimed to determine whether an integrated water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) intervention prevents the transmission of trachoma.MethodsThe WASH Upgrades for Health in Amhara (WUHA) was a two-arm, parallel-group, cluster-randomised trial in 40 rural communities in Wag Hemra Zone (Amhara Region, Ethiopia) that had been treated with 7 years of annual mass azithromycin distributions. The randomisation unit was the school catchment area. All households within a 1·5 km radius of a potential water point within the catchment area (as determined by the investigators) were eligible for inclusion. Clusters were randomly assigned (at a 1:1 ratio) to receive a WASH intervention either immediately (intervention) or delayed until the conclusion of the trial (control), in the absence of concurrent antibiotic distributions. Given the nature of the intervention, participants and field workers could not be masked, but laboratory personnel were masked to treatment allocation. The WASH intervention consisted of both hygiene infrastructure improvements (namely, construction of a community water point) and hygiene promotion by government, school, and community leaders, which were implemented at the household, school, and community levels. Hygiene promotion focused on two simple messages: to use soap and water to wash your or your child's face, and to always use a latrine for defecation. The primary outcome was the cluster-level prevalence of ocular chlamydia, measured annually using conjunctival swabs in a random sample of children aged 0-5 years from each cluster at 12, 24, and 36 month timepoints. Analyses were done in an intention-to-treat manner. This trial is ongoing and is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02754583.FindingsBetween Nov 9, 2015, and March 5, 2019, 40 of 44 clusters assessed for eligibility were enrolled and randomly allocated to the trial groups (20 clusters each, with 7636 people from 1751 households in the intervention group and 9821 people from 2211 households in the control group at baseline). At baseline, ocular chlamydia prevalence among children aged 0-5 years was 11% (95% CI 6 to 16) in the WASH group and 11% (5 to 18) in the control group. At month 36, ocular chlamydia prevalence had increased in both groups, to 32% (24 to 41) in the WASH group and 31% (21 to 41) in the control group (risk difference across three annual monitoring visits, after adjustment for prevalence at baseline: 3·7 percentage points; 95% CI -4·9 to 12·4; p=0·40). No adverse events were reported in either group.InterpretationAn integrated WASH intervention addressing the F and E components of the SAFE strategy did not prevent an increase in prevalence of ocular chlamydia following cessation of antibiotics in an area with hyperendemic trachoma. The impact of WASH in the presence of annual mass azithromycin distributions is currently being studied in a follow-up trial of the 40 study clusters. Continued antibiotic distributions will probably be important in areas with persistent trachoma.FundingNational Institutes of Health-National Eye Institute.TranslationFor the Amharic translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Purpose: To evaluate the inter- and intra-observer reliability of anterior chamber (AC) angle measurements obtained by swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT).Methods: Forty-eight consecutive patients diagnosed with primary angle closure suspect (PACS) were included. Three masked observers at different training levels (one glaucoma specialist, one ophthalmology resident, and one pre-medical college student) measured 192 SS-OCT images of the PACS patients. One observer (the glaucoma specialist) repeated measurements 1 week later. SS-OCT parameters included: Anterior segment volume, including corneal, AC, and iris volume; anterior segment dimensions, including AC depth and width (ACD, ACW), and lens vault (LV); and angle parameters, including angle opening distance (AOD), angle recess area (ARA), trabecular iris space area (TISA), and the trabecular iris angle (TIA). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to measure reliability.Results: For inter-observer reproducibility, ICCs of corneal, AC, and iris volumes were 0.952 to 0.998. ICCs of ACD at all axes were above 0.989. ICCs of ACW and LV were smallest in the 90°-270° axis (0.751 and 0.768) but not significantly different from other axes. ARA, TISA, and TIA at all angles had significantly smallest ICCs 250 µm from the scleral spur compared with 500 µm and 750 µm. The ICCs comparing observers with different training levels had similar ranges and followed similar trends. For intra-observer repeatability, the smallest ICC was 0.843. Decreasing AC depth correlated with increased inter-observer reproducibility.Conclusions: We found excellent intra-observer repeatability for all SS-OCT parameters. Angle measurements have more variation among the observers when taken 250 µm from the scleral spur. Shallow AC might lead to more variability for angle parameters. Non-expert observers may be recruited for high-quality image grading with standard training.